Division of Women's Health

The Division of Women’s Health promotes preventive health care in partnership with local agencies by providing education, facilitating access and assuring quality services in the areas of breast, cervical and ovarian cancer, family planning, adolescent health and domestic violence.

Vision Statement

Empowering women and girls to achieve optimal health and well-being. Created by the Kentucky General Assembly, the office is authorized and required to:

Be a reliable source of data and information on women's health

Recommend measures of women's health and well-being for study and reporting; and

The Kentucky Breast Cancer Awareness license plate is now available from your county clerk.

Displaying the Breast Cancer Awareness license plate is a wonderful way to pay tribute to the many Kentuckians and others affected by this terrible disease and to raise awareness of the importance of regular screening and early detection.

The County Clerk's office charges $44 for the initial purchase of a license plate. Twenty-eight dollars goes to the state and $6 to the county. Ten dollars is the opt-out share amount that goes to the Breast Cancer Trust Fund.

Legislation passed in 2005 established the Breast Cancer Research and Education Trust Fund as a means to further enhance Kentucky's efforts to reduce the incidence and mortality rate of breast cancer in Kentucky.

Kentuckians can support the work of the trust fund by using a special checkoff option to contribute all or a portion of their Kentucky state income tax returns. Tax refund contributions to the trust fund will be used to advance promising Kentucky programs promoting breast cancer research, education, treatment, screening and awareness.

The mission of the Breast Cancer Research and Education Trust Fund is to enhance efforts to reduce breast cancer incidence and mortality. These efforts target the program needs and challenges specific to population groups and geographic regions.

Eligible grant applicants include nonprofit entities, educational institutions and government agencies in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Each applicant must offer a program or service that seeks to address the needs of the commonwealth.

This year, the trust fund application is available in electronic format. Applicants will submit an application electronically, while mailing only one hard copy to the Division of Women's Health. The open-ended questions on the online application have a 20-minute completion time limit. To ensure meeting the 20-minute time limit, prepare your answers to these questions before beginning that section of the application.

For any questions regarding how to fill out the application, please call Christina Marraccini at (502) 564-3236, ext. 4156.

A detailed budget is required for all applicants. Please be sure to include your budget outline on the application.

For questions on any forms related to the application process, please email or call (502) 564-3236, ext 4156.

Kentucky Women's Health Registry

The Kentucky Women's Health Registry is designed to enhance state efforts to track health trends across generations of Kentucky women. The registry will provide a better understanding of the impact of geographic, cultural, socioeconomic and other factors on the health of women in the commonwealth.

Research has shown that women and men respond differently to some medical treatments, present with different symptoms for the same diseases and generally experience health issues in different ways. Women also encounter stressors and other health influences that may affect their health differently than men.

According to Leslie J. Crofford, M.D., director of the UK Center for the Advancement of Women's Health, one of the objectives of the registry is to generate long-term health research data to improve the design and delivery of treatment and prevention options based on Kentucky women's needs. The registry may also help increase women's participation in UK medical research.

All personal information is safeguarded and confidential. Medical researchers must meet rigorous approval and screening criteria to qualify for access to registry information.

Participation in both the registry and associated clinical trials is voluntary.

You may also request a mail-in survey by calling (859) 323-5709 or toll-free (800) 929-2320.

See Also...

National Women's Health Information CenterThe National Women's Health Information Center is the federal government source for women's health information. This Web site and toll-free call center were created to provide reliable health information for women everywhere. The database includes special sections on topics such as heart disease, disabilities and pregnancy.